|
Louisville Metro has
plenty of green space where you can find relaxation and recreation.
The metropitan area has 140 public parks, which include nine golf courses,
15 Olynpic size swimming pools, recreation centers and 226 tennis courts.
Twenty lakes and five parks along the Ohio River offer fishing.
The Parks and Recreation Department oversees 8,300 acres of public parks.
Some of the larger parks include:
Cherokee Park
Eastern Parkway & Cherokee Road.
(City) 409.3 acres |
Chickasaw Park
Southwestern Parkway and Greenwood
Road
(City) 61.3 acres |
McNeely Park
Cooper Chapel Road
(County)
745.5 acres |
Seneca Park
Seneca Park Road
(City)
333.28 acres
|
George Rogers Clark
Park
Poplar Level Road & Thruston
Avenue.
(City) 45.67
acres |
Joe Creason Park
1297 Trevillian Way
(City)
68.16 acres |
Crescent Hill
Park
3110 Brownsboro
Road
(City) 77 acres |
Fisherman's Park
Old Heady Road & Hopewell Road
(County) 65 acres |
Iroquois Park
Taylor Blvd. & Southern Parkway
(City) 739.4 acres |
Long Run Park
Flat Rock Road
(County)
396.7 acres |
Shawnee Park
Southwester Parkway
(City)
316.5 acres |
Sun Valley Park
Bethany Lane at Mill Creek
(County) 10 acres |
Charlie Vettiner
Park
Mary Dell Lane
off Billtown
Road
(County) 283.41 acres |
Tom Wallace Park
Mitchell Hill Road
(Forestry)
342 acres |
Waverly Park
Arnoldtown Road
(County)
300.3 acres |
E.P. Tom Sawyer
Park
Freys Hill Road
(County) 377 acres |
|
|
| Libraries |
 |
Louisville's library system
has more than one million items, including books, records, tapes and
periodicals. The library also holds the only patent collection
in Kentucky, an extensive geneology section and a foundations center
offering resources for writing grant proposals. The library
offers Talking Books for citizens who need them, FAX services and
a bookmobile that regularly visits senior centers, nursing homes and
housing projects. The main library and telephone number is:
Bon Air Public Library
2816 Del Rio Place
Louisville,
KY 40220
(502) 574-1795 |
Crescent Hill Public
Library
2762 Frankfort
Avenue
Louisville, KY 40206
(502) 574-1793 |
Highland/Shelby Park
Public Library
1250
Bardstown Road
Louisville,
KY 40204
(502) 574-1672 |
Iriquois Public
Library
601 W. Woodlawn
Louisville, KY 40215
(502) 574-1720 |
Jeffersontown
Public Library
10631
Watterson Trail
Louisville,
KY 40299
(502) 267-5713 |
Middletown Public
Library
200 Juneau Drive
Louisville,
KY 40243
(502) 245-7332 |
| Shively/Newman Public
Library
3920 Dixie Highway
Louisville, KY 40216
(502) 574-1730
|
Okolona Public Library
7709 Preston Highway
Louisville, KY 40219
(502)
964-3515 |
Portland Public Library
3305 Northwestern Parkway
Louisville, KY 40212
(502) 778-6531 |
St. Matthews /Eline
Public Library
4210 S. Church Way
Louisville,
KY 40207
(502) 574-1771 |
Shelby Park Public Library
600 E. Oak Street
Louisville,
KY 40203
(502) 634-9231 |
Valley Station Public
Library
6505 Bethany
Lane
Louisville, KY 40272
(502) 933-0029 |
Western Public
Library
604 S. 10th Street
Louisville,
KY 40203
(502) 574-1779 |
Bookmoblie
(502) 561-8609 |
|
| Driver's License
New residents are required to obtain Kentucky driver's licenses,
which may obtained by passing the written and eye tests
at the License Examining Bureau located at Bowman Field
airport. The Bureau is open between 8:00 a.m. and
3:30 p.m. Tuesday through Friday and on Monday from 8:00
a.m. till 5:30 p.m. Licenses cost $8.00 and are valid
for four years. Don't forget to bring youor current
driver's license and your social security card. For
more information, please call (502) 595-4405.
|
Automobile Registration
Vehicles should be registered withinn fifteen (15)
days of the purchase or transfer from another state into the
Commonwealth of Kentucky. Requirements will differ depending
on the type of vehicle and the state from which you have moved.
For specific information, contact:
| Additionally, a sherriff's
inspection is required for out-of-state vehicles
and may be obtained at 818 W. Market Street, Louisville.
For more information, please call (502) 574-5085. |
|
| Bus
Service |
 |
| The Transit
Authority of River City (TARC) operates over 250 buses on
routes throughout Louisville Metro, Oldham counties and Southern
Indiana. Bus hours vary, but many routes run from 5
a.m. until midnight the next morning. There are two
fares, however. During normal hours, the cost is 75
cents, but it jumps to $1.00 during morning and afternoon
rush hours. For more information on scheduled routes,
please call (502) 585-1234 or TDD at (502) 587-8255 or visit
TARC on the web!
TARC also operates the Toonerville II Trolley, a recreation
of a 19th-century trolley car (and named after a popular
comic strip started in local newspapers at the turn of the
century). It runs a special route of Fourth Street
between Theatre Square at Broadway and the river, providing
shuttle service downtown and to the Galleria, often having
restricted-access streets to itself. Trolly rides
are free. |
|
| Buckle
Up, It's The Law
Louisville Metro requires that all occupants of a motor vehicle
must wear their seatbelts. All children 40 inches or
below must be secured into a federally approved car seat.
Also, owners of pick-up trucks are prohibited from allowing
riders in the bed of the vehicle. Violation of these
ordinances is punishable by a $25.00 fine.
|
Police
Protection
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Law enforcement
in the City of Louisville is handled by the approximately
1200 sworn officers of the Louisville
Metro Police Department. Louisville's police chief
is Col. Robert C. White. |
There are 28 full
service post office branches
serving the Metro Louisville area. Most are open from
8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Some
branches do Saturday hours. The main post office is
located at 1420 Gardiner Lane and is open from 7:30 a.m. till
7:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. The branch located
at 4440 Crittenden Drive is open 24 hours a day, seven days
a week. For more information, call the main post office at
(502) 454-1650 or 1-800-ASK-USPS |
| Voter
Registration
Registration must be completed at least 28 days before an
election. Newcomers may register to vote by mail at
the Board of Elections or at any
County Clerk branch office. For more information,
please call (502) 574-6100. |
| Expressways
Greater Louisville is served by several major thouroghfares
including Interstates 64, 65, 71 and is surrounded by I-264
(Watterson Expressway) and I-265 (Gene Snyder Freeway) making
most commutes simple and relatively quick. |
| Time
Zone
Louisville and the Southern Indiana citiesof Clarksville,
Jeffersonville, New Albany, and Corydon observe Eastern
Standard Time (EST) from the last Sunday of October until
the first Sunday of April and Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)
the remainder of the year. |
| Taxes
The sales tax
rate is six (6) percent, exluding prescription drugs, groceries
and utility bills (except telephone). A 1.25% occupational
tax is withheld from gross earnings of residents working
in Louisville Metro, plus 0.2 percent for mass transit.
An added 0.75 percent school occupational tax is also withheld
from gross earnings of residents. For more information,
please call (502) 574-4860.
Kentucky residents
are also required to pay Personal Property Taxes on items
such as cars, trucks, motorcycles, etc. For more information,
please call (502) 574-6014.
State Income Tax
forms can be obtained from the Kentucky Revenue Cabinet
at 620 S. Third Street, Suite 102, Louisville
Real Estate Taxes
in the Louisville Metro are based on the total assessed
value of the property. The City tax rate is .3743
per $100.00 of assessed value. The Jefferson County
tax rate, which includes State and School taxes, is .837
per $100.00 of assessed value. |
| Historical Facts
Louisville Metro has come a long way since the first settlers
arrived here from Pennsylvania over 200 years ago.
Louisville has always been a very gracious and giving community
as you will soon come to realize. The following will
provide you with a brief outlin of our past.
 The
first permanent settlement in what was to become Louisville
came in 1778 when George
Rogers Clark established
a camp just above the Falls of the Ohio.
Louisville
owes its existence to the Falls of the Ohio, which was the
only place along the 981
mile Ohio
River where waater flowed over bedrock creating a series
of rapids and waterfalls
which made
it almost impassible for travelers.
Louisville
is named for King Louis XVI in appreciation of French aid
during the Revolution.
In
1850, Louisville was the nation's 10th largest city.
In
1850 the Louisville & Nashville Railroad or L&N
was organized.
In
1874 the Louisville Jockey Club was formed. The club
later became Churchill Downs
which is
home to the Kentucky Derby.
In
1874 the first Louisville Slugger baseball bat was produced
by the Hilletch & Bradsby
Company.
In
1916 the Ford Motor Company opened its first automobile
assembly plant. Today
Louisville
is the Ford truck capital of the world.
In
1922 Louisville's first radio station, WHAS, went on the
air.
In
1937 torrential rain fell throughout the Ohio Valley, flooding
more than three-fourths of the
city. The
Great Flood of 1937 caused more than 250,000 people to be
evacuated, 90 deaths
and $50 million
in damage.
During
World War II, Louisville became the world's largest producer
of synthetic rubber.
Louisville
was selected as the site for three plants by DuPont, BF
Goodrich and American
Synthetic. |
| Population
The following reflect the population of area counties and
county seats as reported by the 1999 U.S. Census Bureau.
| Jefferson
County |
672,900 |
|
Louisville |
253,128 |
| Bullitt
County |
60,955 |
|
Shepherdsville |
6,134 |
| Oldham County |
45,821 |
|
LaGrange |
5,775 |
|
95,121 |
|
Jeffersonville |
27,057 |
| Floyd County,
IN |
72,243 |
|
New Albany |
40,273 |
| Harrison
County, IN |
35,376 |
|
Corydon |
2,638 |
| Scott County,
IN |
23,433 |
|
Scottsburg |
6,218 |
|
Need More Info?
Help Desk
|
